Man, 22, struck, killed by pickup in West Chatham

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A man was fatally struck by a vehicle Monday afternoon in West Chatham.

The 22-year-old was performing work on a green Honda Accord when he was struck by the Ford pickup about 3 p.m. in the 100 block of West 87th Street, according to Chicago police.

De'Anthony Means had stopped by the West Chatham AutoZone to pick up a few parts.

"The guy, Carlos, was going to show me how to install the battery on my key fob and then show me how to hook the aux on my radio," Means said.

By the time Means got back outside his car was in pieces and the mechanic who'd offered to help him was crushed underneath the car.

"I come outside to see him, unfortunately, gruesome. From what I saw I couldn't even identify his head," he said.

Witnesses said the driver of a pickup truck sped through the parking lot, swerving to intentionally crash into Carlos Posadas, and kept right on going. According to witnesses, the pickup truck struck the Honda so hard, it spun and trapped the victim underneath.

"Just heard a loud noise and saw a car speed off," said Dr. Donovan Price, witness.

Bystanders chased down the truck while the victim's friends ran to try and free him.

"He wasn't responding. Nothing," said Ricardo Morales, friend. "I was calling him, he wasn't answering."

Friends said he was hustling as a day labor mechanic, trying to make money for his two children. Posadas was pronounced dead in the parking lot.

Friends said the driver who struck him knew the mechanic.

"He didn't see it coming, you know. They said he was here. They was fighting yesterday," said a witness and friend of the victim.

Charges against the driver are pending, police said.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report